“And
he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and
some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting
of the saints, for the
work of the ministry, for the edifying
of the body of Christ: Till we
all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son
of God, unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ.”

(Eph.4:11-12)

Whereas the ministry of Malachi 4 called people out of the Babylonian confusion, the ministry of Ephesians
4 takes her into the promised land of the Word of God.
It has been a long awaited desire of believers to see the completion of
this work which will culminate into the unity of the true Church of
Christ. However, human carnality has always been present to try to help
God fulfil His seemingly delaying promises and thereby cause confusion -
Abraham went in with Hagar when the promise of Isaac ‘delayed’; King
Saul took it upon himself to offer the burn offering when the prophet
Samuel seemed to be ‘late’ for the ceremony, and today in the Endtime
Message, men of all sort have risen each claiming (directly or through
innuendos) to be a special vessel God will use to bring about Unity when
all believers recognise him to be the light-bearer which has succeeded
the ministry of William Branham. Most believers do not discern the
insincerity of such men but often get carried away by their charismatic
and oratorical influence.

Unity in the true Church of Christ, no matter how it may
seem to delay, can only come God’s way and not the Babylon way:
The ancient city of Babylon was founded by Nimrod the Great, known to
have been the first human to be revered as God. It so happened in the
process of time that people said, “Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose
top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be
scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Gen.11:4). The basic motive for building this tower of
unity was for the people to make themselves a name. But God
confounded their language so that they could not understand each other.
Confusion halted the building work and hence the name Babylon, meaning
‘Confusion’. Even so, Prophetic Studies have revealed that the spirit of
Babylon still lives as “MYSTERY, BABYLON the Great, the mother of
harlots and abominations of the earth” (Rev.17:5) – this is the one
church today whose leader is also revered as God; “The pope is of so
great dignity, and so exalted, that he is not a mere man, but as it were
God, and the VICAR OF GOD. The pope is as it were, God on earth, chief
king of kings, having plenitude of power” (Catholic Dictionary
[Lucias Ferraris, Prompta Bibliotheca Canonica Juridicia Moralis
Theologica, Vol.VI, Read Pages 25-29,438,422]).Much as this claim sounds
too bizarre to be Biblical, it is actually based on scriptures -
overstretched and twisted in order to satisfy man’s ego for recognition
and power.

Catholic Unity

The
origin of this Catholic fallacy is in a doctrine that holds that The
Church Universal can only be in unity when all Christians submit to an
infallible head who should be revered as the visible representative
of the invisible Jesus Christ. This idea came up when the Roman
Church used to experience disagreements on important matters of
doctrine. This confusion led to the Council of Nicaea (and other
ecumenical councils which followed) at which “the idea of an
infallible episcopate giving authoritative and permanent utterance to
apostolic and therefore divine truth, found clear expression, and has
been handed down as a part of the faith of the Catholic Church” (ENCYCLOPAEDIA
BRITANNICA, 1962, Pg.679), and, I should add, also as part of the
faith of a people that were supposedly delivered from this corrupt
system through the revelation of the Seven Seals which unmasked the
nicolaitine spirit behind the doctrine! Notice; “meanwhile the Roman
episcopate developed into the papacy, which claimed supremacy over the
entire Christian Church” (ibid). This move was further given
strength by a renowned and influential man, Augustine, through a famous
writing he published. And “upon this doctrine was built, not by
Augustine himself but by others who came after him, the structure of the
papacy, the bishop of Rome being finally recognised as the head under
Christ…and so the supreme organ of divine authority on earth”(ibid).

With time, there arose a devout and pious Catholic who
sought to achieve Catholic Unity even by means of force against those
who could not agree with certain traditions of The church – ‘heretics’
or ‘infidels’, as they were commonly known. The man was Ignatius of
Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order in 1540. According to this order,
Unity “can
be assured only through an effective submission to Christ's vicar”
and “The
Jesuit must see in his superior not a fallible man, but Christ Himself”
(JESUIT ROUQUETTE [The Secret History of Jesuits, pg.25-26]).The
irony for having Christ’s vicar, as afore mentioned, is to have a
visible head (or representative) of the invisible Christ.

Is it not surprising that Endtime Message believers,
despite having been warned of the nicolaitine influence of
Mystery Babylon and her daughters, have also come under the spell of the
same spirit as more men rise in the movement each desiring recognition
and attention as the ONLY ONE to whom all other believers should
hearken. The title of “pope” may not be the one used (no more than the
pope would use “antichrist” for his designation), but the title has
surely manifested in different guises of Elisha, Chief Apostle,
Son of Man, and more recently, Lead Apostle. There is one
in Latin America who claims to be the successor of William Branham’s
ministry and will take the gospel to the Jews in fulfilment of
Revelation 11. Another one, an Indian, was so great and had
unprecedented supernatural signs and miracles that created such a
world-wide following. The man ended up believing he was the Christ. He
died and is no more. Germany also produced one and is believed to be the
true one succeeding William Branham, having received an audible
voice commission from God. The list would be endless to describe all the
‘Messengers’ in the Endtime Message movement who each claim to
be the true successor of the Elijah Ministry. But a little space should
suffice here to look at a new case on the scene. His teachings and
claims are quite unique and too egoistic.

A CASE TO CONSIDERAmos Omoboriowo

The man, Amos Omoboriowo, believes that unity in the
Bride of Christ can only materialise when people recognise one man as
the standard bearer. This is what he stated in his book WHEN GOD
LIFTS UP A STANDARD;“headship comes before unity. That is why
you cannot even talk of true unity, if we do not understand headship…The
fivefold ministry cannot speak with one indivisible voice unless and
until they recognize and totally accept revelatory headship…They must
see the one bearing Scriptural revelatory authority! True unity starts
here! It takes away arguments! They all recognize and accept the
authority of Jesus Christ invested in the leader…I would have to
ask: How are we to be rallied together if we have no particular head?”
[Pgs.13-14].

Amos went further to claim that he had an “infallible
revelation” concerning Raymond Jackson being the one that was to come
after William Branham and published this in another book titled, HE
THAT IS TO COME. He further declared: “Jesus Christ was the
complete embodiment of the fivefold ministry, for all these ministries
were in him… This is the office that characterizes and exemplifies the
revelatory headship of Jesus Christ. This is the ministry Brother
Branham introduced! He introduced Christ in his apostolic body ministry,
thereby forerunning Christ in his mystical second coming, not his
physical. ...IT IS CHRIST IN HIS APOSTLE!! YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE CHIEF
APOSTLE!!! ...Yes sir! His name is Raymond Jackson! Glory to God! And on
the full authority of the scriptures, I can infallibly say, ‘Greater
than Solomon is here’ today.” (HE THAT IS TO COME, pgs.88-89)
This is a blunder of major proportions! Was he alluding that
Jackson was Jesus Christ Himself? However, in all this, the grim
delusion of Amos became quite explicit when he predicted (with
confirmations of dreams) that Jackson will not die but live to the
rapture: “I am aware there are people wishing Bro. Jackson were dead.
I am aware there are those, supposedly following his ministry, who have
been prophesying his death, for them to take over. So they wish! Let me
tell you now: The sent one; He that is to come, is here till the
rapture. This is one ministry you would have to contend with till the
rapture. We shall see” [ibid, pg.99, see also page 59].

All concerned and sincere believers who read his books,
became worried about the issue and its development. It became clear that
it was a matter of time Jackson’s ministry would come into a terrible
shame, since he had specially stood for many years to present the
correct picture of what William Branham’s ministry was all about.
Despite all the fanaticism that flourished in the End Time Message
movement, Jackson was one man that stood sober and detached from cultic
behaviour. Raymond Jackson died in December of 2004 and the ministers of
Faith Assembly Church, being aware of the impending embarrassment by
Amos’ book (seeing that they are the ones who projected him to the
world, as stated in their letter) called on Amos to retract the book.
Here is an excerpt of their letter to Amos:

----------

December 29, 2004

Greetings Bro. Amos in Jesus Christ;

It is with deep regret that we have to write this letter.
It has been brought to our attention that there is controversy on your
latest book entitled HE THAT IS TO COME on statements where you have
said that Bro. Raymond Jackson would be here until the rapture. You made
a statement on page 3, (quote) "that God had given you a perfect and
infallible revelation of the quotation HE THAT IS TO COME."

On page 59 you state, (quote) "that his ministry would be
on ground until the rapture."

On pages 88 and 89 you leave a very confusing thought
that Bro. Jackson is the bodily apostolic ministry of Christ.

Bro. Jackson told us that he had not read this book, but
had only briefly skimmed through it. If Bro. Jackson had read this book
he would have dealt with this matter himself. Bro. Allen nor myself,
(Bro. Bud) had read the book until after the funeral of Bro. Jackson. We
have both now read the book from cover to cover and find many errors.
We feel it necessary to ask you to write a public letter of retraction
as soon as possible so this matter can be resolved. We feel it is
necessary for us to deal with this matter in an open and public manner
due to the fact your books are open to the public, and your ministry has
been projected to the world from Faith Assembly.

In Christian love.....Bro. James Allen & Bro. Bud
Thompson

-----------

This apparently was a letter out of brotherly love and
sincerity. Anyone may expect that Amos would have unreservedly retracted
his book, looking at its conspicuous errors and blunders. But against
all odds he gave a rebuttal in which he stated: “I say this with
respect, and in love, because I expect that you would be the ones to
watch my back, having stood together for truth, and fed under the
same ministry of the Chief Apostle to this age, Bro. Jackson”.
However, it turned out Amos knew actually what to say, and Pastor James
Allen and Bud Thompson were simply throwing mud at Amos, mud which they
were a part of. You may agree more after reading a four-part series
Contender titled THE BODY OF CHRIST in which Raymond Jackson
preached what he believed about Unity. Let us look at the facts.

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTHDid Bro. Jackson believe the ONE-MAN (‘Chief Apostle’)
version of Unity?

Following the death of Raymond Jackson, different
factions have emerged; among these factions some still maintain Jackson
was that “HE THAT IS TO COME”, others believe Amos Omoboriowo is
the successor and current chief. There is one other faction,
which in an effort to save face due to the damage done by the ‘Chief
Apostle’ fallacy and Amosite doctrines have caused, teach that Jackson
never said he was the Chief Apostle. The inconvenient truth is, Amos'
doctrines find their roots in the following statements of Raymond
Jackson. Read, examine (especially the text
I have highlighted in bold) and compare with the earlier
quoted statements of Amos, and draw your conclusions.

Quotes from the contender:

“I say these things to help us see this one thing,
that on the face of this earth, unity will be brought about by a key
spokesman. Oh youjust want to make yourself somebody
special. You who say that, are the kind of people I have been
pointing out. That is the first thing some people think, You just want
to be something special.” (THE
BODY OF CHRIST, Part 2, May 2007)

“If there is ever going to be unity among the true
bride saints, there has got to be the voice of one man, who all the
other men will get in line with. I realise that sounds odd to some
people, because they have thought, well that is not the way I thought it
was going to be…Brothers and sisters: I say to you this morning, It is
not a case of big I and little you, because God positions whom He will,
to take the lead in holding true to His Word.”(THE
BODY OF CHRIST, Part 3, July 2007)

“I have done my best to uplift this truth, to give
people a chance to hear the real truth, instead of what others are
presenting as truth. I believe God has honoured what I have done. I
am thankful for it and I believe the hour has come that there is going
to be unity among God’s true Bride people.”
(THE BODY OF
CHRIST, Part 3, July 2007)

“If God calls somebody to be a spokesman, like He did
Peter on the day of Pentecost, then there will come a time in the plan
of God, when whoever that person is, the opportunity will be laid open,
and God will require that person to speak according to His leading…I am
thankful for what God has put in my heart to preach. I am willing to
base my life on it. Therefore, no matter whether it is Richard Gan or
anyone else around this world, I have seen the things they have preached
and put in print; and none of them present a clear picture.” (THE
BODY OF CHRIST, Part 3, July 2007)

“The time has come when there has got to be unity among
the true Church…We cannot set together and have some say, Well, I see
most of everything, but there are little points here and there that I do
not agree with. I have heard many people say, I don’t think we have
to see eye to eye on everything. You know saints, when people talk
like that, they do not know their Bible.” (THE
BODY OF CHRIST, Part 3, July 2007)

“In the book of Acts, it [unity] started with
the head, and it was Peter, to whom Jesus gave the keys to the
kingdom of heaven; and on that certain day of Pentecost he used those
keys. Notice Matthew 16:19, ‘And I will give unto thee the keys of
the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven’. Did he not use those keys when the multitude
questioned the unusual event of all those who were filled with the Holy
Spirit came into the streets speaking in tongues? When you read
several chapters, it was all built around Peter. Was it not? You see
other men coming into the picture, but for a long course, Peter was
the main and outstanding spokesman. I do not say that to glorify the
flesh of the man, but common sense is common sense.”(THE
BODY OF CHRIST, Part 4, August 2007)

“We have to realize, that in the Ephesian letter
it says, Christ is the head of the Church: and He is the savior
of the body. Does it not say that? In what way then, is He the head
of a tangible nucleus of people like this? Can we see that head
somewhere? How do we have to understand that part about the head?
Where does it make itself visible? There is only one way it can make
itself visible and that is through the beginning of a ministry… My
point is this, When there comes a time that that invisible head which
we cannot see, knows it is time for the body collectively, (still down
here) to start clicking and coming together, then we have to expect that
the invisible head is going to start making Himself known through the
substance that will be the visible head.” (THE
BODY OF CHRIST, Part 4, August 2007)

Letter to Richard Gan:“I have done closed my pulpit to any man that is not in
agreement with me”

The following words about Christian Unity are in aletter of Raymond Jackson he wrote to Richard Gan. This letter was
written as a result of a disagreement the former had with the latter
concerning who was the last pure adamic seed (Enoch or Noah?):

Christian greetings to you in the great and wonderful
name of Jesus Christ our Lord. I pray that all is well with you and your
family and all the saints there in Singapore…

Bro.Gan some of the things that you have taught and
explained that have created these differences among some brethren I had
already put to print before you ever came into contact with me. However,
as of now you seem to be very sure that you are right on these points
that we disagree on. All of this has brought us to a point in time. One
of us has to be wrong on some of these things or else we both are wrong
on a lot of things. But it is impossible for us both to be right and
walking with God. In Isaiah 52:8, it says the watchmen shall lift
up the voice with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see
eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Mount Zion. Bro.Gan you
know that this is a prophecy to be fulfilled in our day, and if you and
I are going to be some of these watchmen then it means that we have to
learn how to be in tune or harmony one with another.

Bro.Gan I have done committed myself to God in this
matter, there is a key to all of this if men that are to be a part of it
will be willing to learn. I have done closed my
pulpit to any man that is not in agreement with me. Now you can say,
well Bro. Jackson that is the spirit of organisation and I will have to
say then my bro you go right on and do what you think you need to do, I
will not build where you build.

So, in closing I think that unless you can begin to see
what I am looking at it would be better that you spend your money going
elsewhere. But if you are ready to see eye to eye with me then come
ahead there is room at the cross for both of us and room for you at
Faith Assembly. God bless you is my sincere prayer.

Christian Love

Bro. Raymond M. Jackson

--------------

Jackson’s words about the controversial book, HE THAT
IS TO COME.

Jackson said these words during a convention at Faith
Assembly on 24th April, 2004.

Quote:

“I want to speak just this moment on behalf of Brother
Amos. I never expected anybody in this world to ever rise up, and write
any report about me, or anything. I never looked for it. But after he
had come here, I don’t know, a few times, he goes back home. He writes
his first book; he sent me a copy: I appreciated it. Then he
comes here, he goes back, and writes another one. I’ll say this, Bro.
Amos, the world might look at you as nothing, but there is a people
around this world, that’s going to see this book [HE THAT IS TO COME],
not because its about me, its about him.”

Testimony of the Editor of The
Contender

In The Contender, WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES SAY
[October, 2003] there is a heading that reads “Paul – the Chief
Apostle” to the Gentiles. In this edition is a testimony of the
editor in which he testified of his belief in Jackson being the Chief
Apostle.

Quote:

“My wife and I want the world to know, that it did not
take us very long to know in our hearts that Bro. Jackson has an
apostolic ministry. At first we just looked at him as one of many
apostles in the Bride Church, but as the years passed; and as we
witnessed how God always enabled him to correct error, we became
convinced that God had called him to be more than just one of a number:
He holds the line on truth, like a chief apostle would be
responsible to do. He has stood and held for a true revelation against
many of those he had much respect for in prior years.”

MY OPINION

I believe Raymond Jackson was a prominent apostle whose
ministry was outstanding and reached out to many people. He lived to
fulfil his ministry until he went to be with the Lord in December 2004.
But it is my observation that with time people began to exalt him above
measure. Through carnality, it seems the designation of apostle was no
longer enough; a new term - Chief Apostle - had to be coined. It could
be that Jackson at first never believed in this nicolaitine
influence. This could explain why in his earlier messages he never
presented a ONE-MAN MINISTRY version of Unity. But with time, his
messages took a turn with much emphasis on the need for all ministries
to align themselves under ONE MAN – the Chief Apostle. I believe it is
this doctrine that has caused all the trouble and divisions in the
Jackson movement.

Besides the editor of The Contender, other prominent and
close associates of Jackson firmly proclaimed and still proclaim him as
the Chief Apostle. In the Contender series titled THE SEALS, a
caption of tribute for the late Raymond Jackson stated ‘THE STAR APOSTLE
TO THE LAODICEAN CHURCH AGE’; whatever that means, only Faith Assembly
knows.

To those who try to save face from the damage the
“ONE-MAN” fallacy caused, by mudslinging Amos Omoboriowo, it is not a
sincere thing to do; the above facts ring out loud and clear that one
can never attack Amos’ doctrine of a One Man Ministry or Chief
Apostleship without attacking Raymond Jackson’s. Amos is simply
proclaiming out loud and in clear terms what Jackson inferred in his
sermons. Moreover, it is too weak an argument to state that Jackson
never stated it himself that he was the Chief Apostle; otherwise one
might as well stop denouncing the pope as an antichrist as he has never
said that he is one. This fact may sound unpalatable to anti-Amosites,
but it is still the reality on the ground.

Dearly beloved, it is important to note that the main
underlying concept behind the message of Unity, as presented by brothers
Jackson and Amos Omoboriowo, is that once the principal one-man is
identified and all believers rally behind him, all arguments will cease.
However, this theory has proved faulty because after Jackson’s death,
new doctrines and claims have emerged that have led to many factions in
the Jackson movement, with some people calling each other very
unpleasant names. One would ask, what happened to the tower of unity
they were trying to erect? Didn’t they identify the ‘head’, the
‘principal spokesperson’ – Raymond Jackson? Could they not learn from
the Branhamites who pursued the same agenda of erecting a tower with the
name Branham at the pinnacle but the movement today spells nothing but
Babylon (‘confusion’)? (However, in the case of Bro. Branham, he was
wise and humble enough to openly condemn and denounce the spirit).
Followers of Bro. Jackson had started well and laboured for many years,
but it took few years to destroy the work as their agenda changed along
the way (unwittingly I suppose) from building the tower of the Lord to a
tower with a man’s name on it. The tower is now in a state of confusion
as many of them now speak different languages of doctrine. The shout
sounded; they took heed to the command to come out, but alas,
only to turn around and end up in another Babylon (‘confusion’).Let us
heed James’ admonition - where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every
evil thing are there.
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,
willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality
and hypocrisy”
(James 3:1-2,13-17, NKJV).

ADMONITIONBeware
Of the Deceit of Lucifer

The
deceit in Lucifer’s heart was not sudden but began with a thought
process; he contemplated to himself:

I will ascend into heaven,

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:

I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation,

in
the sides of the north:

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;

I will be like the most High.

(Isa.14:12-13)

Let us beware of the temptation of the above five I ’s:

The first “I”
stimulates a desire to go beyond the position or capacity God has given
you. Like Lucifer who was given the earth for his habitation but began
to harbour ambitions to also rule in the heavens, this desire will often
lead a person into doing things that God has never called him to, and
through pride will begin to motivate him to seek other places
besides the God-given abode. Paul admonishes –“For I say, through the
grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of
himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly,
according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith: For
as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same
office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members
one of another.” (Rom.12:3-5, cf. Jude 6).

The second “I” makes one to see himself as being more prominent, more
special and more important than other “stars” (‘servants’ or
‘children’) of God: Lucifer, began to see himself as a more superior
“star” than other “stars” (angels) of God. It is such self-perception
that often lead men to begin to seek for more imposing (and even non
scriptural) titles of archbishop, chief apostle or pope.
The simple scriptural titles seem to no longer impress enough as a
person begins to look for titles, roles or even clothing that
distinguishes him from the rest of other children of God. What William
Branham said concerning this, a nicolaitine spirit, can never be
plainer: “Men wanted pre-eminence, so they took over control, and
bishops became archbishops, and with imposing titles they
by-passed the Word of God and taught their own doctrines” (CHURCH
AGES, Pg.94). Dearly beloved in Christ, as children of God, we
should never entertain ambitious thoughts of being more special than
other servants of God, but instead always endeavour to “Let nothing
be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let
each esteem other better than themselves.” (Phil.2:3-4).Whatever
we are in the kingdom of God is never a product of our hard work,
intelligence or our own righteousness (which is as filthy rags) but the
grace of God.

The third “I” takes
over when the thought of being more important than others matures
into a craving for action.Action often manifests
through talk, preaching orbehaviourthat presents a
person as being more superior. This may wittingly or unwittingly be done
to draw attention and recognition in a congregation of saints. Little by
little, a person continues to climb higher and higher the pedestal (“mountain”)
of recognition, and thus catching the attention of the “congregation”
of saints. At this point, much of a person’s messages, testimonies or
preaching egg on why people should listen to him and accept him as a
special one sent by God; very little time is spent on feeding the
flock of God with the bread of the Word as testimonies seem to
take more priority. On a pedestal a person’s mission is to create and
draw disciples after himself; it is important, however, to note that
there is often a guise of humility in proud men that often portrays
itself through seemingly humble sentiments such as “I have never
claimed that” or “it is people saying it that way”. Truth
be said; if followers of a man put him on a pedestal and present him
as the superior one, and yet when the man is asked of how he ended up
there, he reluctantly claims that it’s the people doing it and not
himself, but yet can not come out EXPLICITLY to denounce the propagated
false beliefs, then he believes what the people proclaim him to be.
The man is simply not sincere! A sincere servant of God will never be
‘economical’ with words when denouncing poisonous beliefs especially
those supposedly being propagated in his name. When people called
John the Baptist “Christ”, he gave a categorical (absolute and explicit)
“NO!”; when the men of Lystra saw Paul perform a miracle, they raised
their voices and proclaimed, “The gods are come down to us in the
likeness of men” (Acts 14:9-15). But Paul (and Barnabas) “rent
their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, and saying,
Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you,
and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the
living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things
that are therein” (Acts 14:14-15). And likewise, William Branham,
that humble servant of God almost quit the ministry as he wept on the
pulpit in condemning the spirit that began to influence some people to
start worshiping him. As Owen Jorgensen
has correctly accounted; “This incident upset him so much that he
trembled for days. He kept thinking how tragic it would be if, after
spending all of his adult life working for the honour and glory of Jesus
Christ, he ended up being remembered as antichrist. He couldn’t stand
the thought of such a horrible possibility…for a week he trembled
nervously and cried in such agony of spirit that he wondered if he was
losing his mind” (THE SUPERNATURAL, Book VI, Pg.27). He
openly and in no uncertain terms condemned the wrong spirit that was
motivating people to lift him above measure. These were words of Bro.
William Branham in a message titled REVELATION CHAPTER FIVE:

“I
always wanted to be …a true servant to Jesus Christ, my Lord and
Saviour. I want my testimony to be clean, clear cut, that I stood,
in all my mistakes I yet loved Him with all my heart. And I do that this
morning with all my heart. And because of that, it forces me to say I
am leaving the ministry, is because thatthere's something
arose up amongst the people that's caused me to do it; that is, that I
have been taken from my bracket of a minister or a brother and being
called Jesus Christ, …that would brand me as an antichrist. And I'll
meet God as a quitter before I would meet Him as an antichrist to take
away from Him…. But a precious, darling brother come up to confess his
sins and his wrongs and say his faith in me as being Jesus Christ…Brethren,
that is a horrible, disgraceful, ungodly lie of the Devil…And,
remember, if you've ever believed me, if you've ever believed me to be a
servant of Christ, remember, That is an error. It's falsely. THUS SAITH
THE LORD. It is wrong. Have nothing to do with it. I am your brother”
(REVELATION
CHAPTER FIVE, 1961).

It was
this sincerity and humbleness in William Branham that makes many of his
supposed to be successors fall short of their claims. They can never
even make a quarter of his sincerity and integrity in upholding and
glorifying The Word of God. Many of them are out there to glorify
themselves.

With regards to the third “I” let us pay attention to
this admonishment - “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all
the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to
feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in
among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves
shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples
after them” (Acts 20:29-30). Despite this warning, when a man
manages to climb onto the “mount of the congregation”, there will
always certainly be people with itching and undiscerning ears that will
fall for the scratching euphoria.

The fourth “I” leads a man into more accomplishments and exploits
inspired by pride and gives rise to an empire of devout followers. Among
these followers are those who are moderate, some pious and
others fanatics. With this much support, a person becomes
visionary, more ambitious and accomplishes more. Like the “ram” in
Daniel’s vision a person under this egoistic spell pushes westward,
northward, and southward so that no one should challenge him
(Daniel 8:4). With this zeal he presents himself as the ultimate and
absolute; anyone outside the circles of his beliefs becomes a heretic
and an outcast. But alas “through his cunning he shall cause deceit
to prosper…and exalt himself in his heart” (Dan.8:25, NKJV). At this
stage testimonies (of dreams, visions, inspiration, miracles, pillar of
fire and financial offerings to support the prominent man) seem to
suggest a vindication of the ministry. This encourages the person to
press on and, as an eagle, sour and ascend higher into the
clouds. This is clearly not only the most dangerous state but the
most deceptive as all a person can see around him are “clouds”
of glory and “winds” of praises from devout and pious followers.
The
“winds” of charismaticism and euphoria that come with such
ministries can be so convincing to simple minds as their clouds
come with a lot of promise of rain of this dream and that
prophecy. But at the end of it all disappointment strikes as no rain
pours out. The faith of many shatters as confusion reigns and winds
disperse, and the wise look on and recall that “whoso boasteth
himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain”
(Prov.25:14). But, no matter how this always repeats itself through
time, carnal man is always too stupid to learn.

Having flown up so high into the clouds of man-made
glory, a person completely loses touch with reality on the
ground! More bold and bizarre revelations flourish from his mouth,
but, behold – “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the
end thereof are the ways of death” (Prov.14:12, Isa.2:11-12).This
fourth “I” is often a prelude to the worst and most destructive form of
pride…

The fifth “I”
- “I will be like the Most High God”. This is the ultimate form
of deception that overtakes a person as he begins to see himself as
infallible, divine or even Christ. One does not have to speak out that
he is infallible or divine; his actionsdoes the speaking
(especially when either he is confronted or when a different view of
something threatens his view and followers of that view). This form of
pride spells “STRONG DELUSION”. Nine times out of ten, trying to
admonish a person in this state is often a futile attempt. This fifth
manifestation of pride puts on miscellaneous guises and titles –
chief apostle, Joshua, eighth messenger, son of man,
etcetera. But whatever form it manifests, it ultimately gives man the
place which is suppose to be God’s.

These
five I’s got a hold of Lucifer, and the once holy cherub fell for
ambition. If an angel who walked and stood in the presence of God could
be so deceived, how much more then for mortal creatures like you and I?
And what more, some angels decided, not only to believe and take sides
with Lucifer but, to rage war against the other obedient angels, whom
they once used to fellowship with - “And there was war in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought
and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any
more in heaven” (Rev.12:7-8)? Just the thought of this makes me
shudder and ask God to help me be humble.

The question is: why and how could a third of angels fall
for Lucifer’s deception? And the simple answer is: Lucifer appeared too
sacred and perhaps too humble to be deceived; He was a worshiper of God
and by his usual worship and glorifying God he always looked humble and
sincere before God. But He “which
searcheth the reins and hearts”
discerned what some angels could not see with their eyes.

After
his fall from heaven, Satan has continued to persuade man into pride.
Every child of God should be warned and know that deception knows no
boundaries and as long as one is careless about it, he shall fall prey
to it!

Unity
God’s way

The
opposites of Lucifer’s five I’s make prerequisites for true unity:

Firstly,
true unity can only be built around the Name of the Lord God and not of
a man. It can never come the Babylon way! This was the objective of the
building of the tower of Babylon: “ Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top
may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be
scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth”
(Gen.11:4). Remember Lucifer’s ambition was also to ascend into heaven
and make a name for himself (Isa.14:12). This Babylonian concept of
unity wound up in confusion as “the
LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth:
and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called
Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the
earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of
all the earth.” (v.8).

True spiritual unity can never come through a people or
movement who are out there to promote a man’s name. Such movements often
begin with revivals and euphoria but which always end in confusion. If
you are in a church or movement that proclaims a man, be informed that
you have no true security as that tower will definitely fall and wind up
in confusion, regardless of how presently it may experience some
euphoria. The wise know that ONLY“the name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous
runneth into it, and is safe” (Prov.18:10).

Secondly,
true unity will only manifest as people become sincere with themselves
and never think of themselves more than what they are. Whatever light
flows through them is God-given and the same in other “stars” of God – “For
I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you,
not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think
soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith”
(Rom.12:3). Take note of any fellowship with this attitude and you
will see a people with true unity.

Thirdly,
true unity does not come by seeing through the eyes of a certain one man
on a pedestal in the congregation of the saints (no matter how
extra-gifted that individual may be). The truth is, in the congregation
of saints, the Lord God rules through the absolute authority of His
Word. Unity will come about as all saints submit unto and look through
the eyes of the Lord – “Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with
the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when
the LORD shall bring again Zion” (Isa.52:8); “The lofty looks of
man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down,
and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day” (Isa.2:11).

When
a question arises on something, it is not prudent to sieve through
teachings of one man through another man’s teaching. That would amount
to doing things in the name or eyes of that man. Instead,
everything must be scrutinised in the light of the Holy Word of God, for
even God himself has magnified His Word above his own name (Psalm
138:2), and, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness” (2 Tim.3:16).

Fourthly,
all that one or a congregation of believers desire to do or achieve
should be done in a spirit of humility and awareness of the will of God
being the absolute (cf. James 4:13-17), and nothing should be done for
the glory of his/their name but of the Lord. Every child of God should
ask himself: what is the motive behind this work am doing – is it to
make a name, money or fame? Doing the work of God with wrong motives is
gathering up false clouds (not God-given). Those clouds will surely look
glorious but are false and will scatter when winds blow. But true clouds
of God abide and come with a true promise of rain.

Lastly, true unity will come when each
one of us realise that we are only flesh and blood and are bound to make
mistakes and offend other people. No one is divine and the absolute.
God’s Word is. The moment a person feels divine and become an absolute
to himself he never receives correction and fails to live in harmony
with other children of God. It is for this reason that apostle James
admonished the saints to “Confess your faults one to another, and
pray one for another, that ye may be healed” (James 5:16). But where
each person feels he can never err, and despises others unity becomes
impossibility!

ADDENDUM
Who is
the true “HE THAT IS TO COME?”

Examine the following statements Bro. Branham made and answer this
question: who was Bro. Branham referring to each time he stated that
someone will come after him?

“But let me say this, that there will come a Message, and there
will come a messenger. I believe that if it’s to be man it’ll be
somebody after me…But this message that I’m preaching is the
true message of this day, and it’s the last Message.” (COD Part
2, Pg.573, Para.391).

“It may be the hour now, that this great person that
we’re expecting to rise on the scene may rise on the scene. May be
this ministry that I have tried to take people back to the Word has laid
a foundation; and if it has, I’ll be leaving you for good. There
won’t be two of us here at the same time.See? If it is, he will increase, I'll decrease. I don't know.” (THE
REVELATION OF SEVEN SEALS, pg.567).

“And now, in this time, whatever the Lord has. . . If
this isn’t the thing that He prophesied of, of Malachi 4and
also of Luke 17, and many other Scriptures that’s to happen in
this last day--may I say this in closing--it’s laid the foundation
for the man when he will come. So, I am very thankful that God
Almighty, if it be that way, has let me do a little something in my
uneducated condition to show my appreciation of His love to me, my love
to Him, and our love to the people.”
(MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE, 1965, Pg.8, Para.49).

“But
under modern conditions, as God’s servant—I won’t call myself His
prophet, but I believe that if I wouldn’t be sent for that, I’m laying a
ground for him when he does come.” (MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE,
1965 ,Pg 45, Para.314)

If your answer is a name of any person other than William
Branham himself then I would ask, DO YOU HAVE EARS TO REALLY HEAR?
Here is wisdom: “He that is to come” was none other than William Branham
himself, and the successor to his ministry is the five-fold ministry of
apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Among these
ministries, others are more prominent than others and some have greater
portions of responsibilities. Due respect must be given to ministers of
the Word even as they should respect each other, even esteeming others
better than themselves (Phil.2:3). Humility should govern the work of
ministry as everyone should be aware that there is ONLY one head and
ONLY one “Chief Apostle”. Who is he? The scriptures speak plainly:

“And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye
shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1 Pet.5:4). “which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted
by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working
in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the
edifying of itself in love” (Eph.4:11-16).